WHAT IS PROCESS WORK

Process Work is a framework for working with change and
conflict. An off-shoot of Jungian analytic psychotherapy, Process Work was
originally developed by Jungian author and analyst Arnold Mindell as a
therapeutic modality. Over the last thirty years of application and research,
Process Work is now more commonly described as an “awareness practice,” as its
methods are applied in a wide range of situations, as a form of inner work or
self-therapy, as a facilitation method for group work, conflict situations,
and large public forums, as a therapy method for individuals, couples, and
families, and as a method for working with comatose and remote states of
consciousness. Process Work methods have been also been applied to other
mental health issues such as addictions, depression, anxiety and panic
disorders, working with chronic symptoms, death and dying, grieving and loss.

HISTORY OF POP

Process Work was founded by
Arnold Mindell, then a
Jungian
analyst, in the late 1970’s. It has its origin in Mindell’s observation
that nighttime dreams both mirrored and were mirrored in his clients’ somatic
experiences, particularly physical symptoms. He generalized the term
“dreaming” to include any aspect of experience that, while possibly differing
from consensus views of reality, was coherent with a person’s dreams,
fantasies, and somatic experience, as well as the unintentional but meaningful
signals that form the background to interpersonal relationships.

Mindell’s training in physics encouraged him to view the unconscious
phenomenologically as well as symbolically, leading him to apply information
theory concepts to the observation of his clients’ behavior. In this light,
the concept of the ‘unconscious’ expanded to include a whole range of
unintentional verbal and non-verbal signals, on the one hand, and of
perceptions, beliefs and ideas with which the individual does not identify, on
the other.

In order to help his clients integrate these forms of unconscious material,
Mindell expanded upon the Jungian techniques of “amplification” such as active
imagination and dream interpretation, by adding methods for working directly
with nonverbal, body-level experience.

Building upon patterns of awareness found in sources ranging from Taoism
and shamanism through modern physics, Mindell developed a framework for
encouraging clients to identify with unconscious experience through a process
he called ‘unfolding’. This unfolding process is a deconstruction of the
client’s named experiences that relies not only on verbal material and imagery
but also on movement, deep somatic experience, interpersonal relationship, and
social context.

In the early 1980’s together with his process work colleagues, Mindell
began to apply the conceptual framework he had been using with individuals,
couples and families, to facilitation of conflict resolution in large groups.
He coined the term “Worldwork” to describe this new discipline.

In the late 1990’s Mindell turned once again to his earlier interest in
physics and began to explore a framework for understanding the common root of
human experience that gives rise to psychology, on the one hand, and quantum
and relativistic physics on the other.

POP IN SLOVAKIA

Processoriented psychology is in Slovakia an accredited therapeutic
modality, the seminars are lead under the patronage of the Slovak
psychotherapeutic society. Several graduates of the 3 years POP training are
accredited psychotherapists and some of them own also the European certificate
for psychotherapy granted by the European psychotherapy society.

Moreover the Department of psychology of the Philosophical faculty,
Comenius university in Bratislava offers an optional course about the basics
of processoriented psychology.

Ivan Verny, MD. and Miro Roth, Dipl. Ing., Swiss therapists of Slovak
origin brought processoriented psychology to Slovakia in winter 1990, when
they presented at the Philosophical Faculty of Comenius University in
Bratislava their first workshop. They led during 2 years about 10
weekend workshops, even in Czech republic.

Also other teachers starded to visit Slovakia (e.g. Ursi Jean, Sebastian Elsesser,
Salome Schwartz, Adam Zwig) and in october 1994 was Slovakia honoured to host
the international seminar "Worldwork 1994: Europe in the Fire
of Change“, which took place in Stupava near Bratislava and had above 200
participants from almost 30 countries.

This event played an important role in further development of POP in
Slovakia. Till then were organized only veekend "tasting" seminars, but people
concerned needed more. Therefore in 1995 started the first official 3 years
training in POP accredited by the Slovak psychotherapeutic society nad
organized by POPI-Slovakia. The training, which had 39 participants (7 from
Czech republic) was lead by Dr. Ivan Verny, Dr. Jean-Claude Audergon, Arlene
Audergon a Dr. Lane Arye.

The sustainment and development of Processwork in this region was possible
thanks to enthusiasm and work of Anton Heretik and his team (Anty H. Heretik,
Mária Andrášiová, Zlata Šramová, Sylvia Ondrisová, Pavel Vohlídka,...).

On sustainment of professional standard of seminars, international
accreditation and further development work currently Andrej Jelenik,
Sylvia Ondrisova, Boris Sopko, Sarah Kašáková and Brigita Trimajová.

Teachers that visit Slovakia most often are Ivan Verny, Alexandra Vassiliou, Lena Aslanidou and Reini Hauser.

THEORY AND PHILOSOPHY

On
the introductory homepage is a picture of the trickster
Heyoka, which rides on
the horse backwards in the stories of Native American people instead of
riding forwards as everybody. Also processwork works backwards- it notices and
appreciates unusual and marginalized aspects, which we have tendency to ignore
and sees them as potential sources of meaningful experiences and solutions to
our problems.

Process Work is based on the simple, yet profound premise that
the fluid transfer of information and experience between subjective,
imaginative states of mind and our ‘everyday,’ objective, rational mind is
critical for our psychological and physical well-being. Research into
consciousness, health, creativity, and psychology increasingly supports this
idea that the mind is much more than our everyday rational intelligence. The
power of emotions, feelings, fantasies, dreams, and other so-called non-linear
or non-rational states of consciousness play a key role in our physical health,
emotional stability, and psychological well-being.

Arnold Mindell, founder of Process Work, describes
consciousness as a spotlight that shines on some things, and leaves other
things unnoticed. The mind selectively focuses on certain experiences, and
marginalizes others, creating ongoing identity conflicts. What we call
‘awareness’ or consciousness is in fact a very narrow slice of our total
attention. For this reason, Process Work proposes that we pay special
attention to the less-known, disavowed or troublesome aspects of our awareness,
especially those that conflict with our sense of identity. Through an attitude
of embracing problems as valuable, and a precise, signal-based, awareness
technique, the Process Work practitioner investigates and unfolds problems, as
vital aspects of our wholeness, allowing us to connect more creatively with
their potential and inherent power. Thus, following the teleological paradigm
of C.G. Jung, Process Work views problems as attempted solutions, symbols of
possibility, rather than only products of the past.

Living all aspects of our wholeness may bring us into conflict
with our belief systems and the culture in which we live, and we may lack the
skills needed to negotiate a way to live out these parts of ourselves in such
contexts. This difficulty is characterized as an ‘edge’ because it represents
a boundary to our personal identities. Process Work methods work to increase
our sense of wholeness, and ameliorate the symptoms associated with the
identify conflict that everyday consciousness predicts. It conveys an attitude
that problems are valuable, seeds of potential and possibility. An important
goal of Process Work is to help the individual explore such apparent limits
and ways to live their expanded identity.